Category Archives: Virginia

May My Beautiful Sweet Briar College’s Foundations Ever Be As Strong As Her Hills

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Betsy

When I tuned in to a live webcast of “Shaking Up Retirement: Rethinking Financial Security for Americans” on the morning of March 3, little did I know that in just a few hours, I’d be so shaken up about something … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, History, Sweet Briar College, Virginia | 5 Comments

Let Ihna Frary Help You Plan Your Ohio or Virginia Staycation

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Betsy

In the months before attending “Publishers’ Bookbindings, 1830-1910,” a Rare Book School course I took at the University of Virginia in July 2006, I trolled the stacks of the Ohio Historical Society’s Archives/Library, looking for good examples of grained, stamped, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, Libraries, Ohio, Ohio History Connection (formerly the Ohio Historical Society), Special Collections, Virginia | Leave a comment

A Wildflower Wander at Sharon Woods Was My First Lesson in Botany

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Betsy

Growing up, I liked to look at a fragile little book on my grandmother’s bookcase called Flower Guide: Wild Flowers East of the Rockies. What made it especially appealing was the fact that it belonged to Grandma when she was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Columbus, Flowers, Virginia | Leave a comment

Seventy-Five Years Ago, a Colonial Revival Couple Spent Their Thanksgiving Honeymoon in West Virginia and Virginia

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Betsy

Seventy-five years ago this Saturday, November 24, my grandparents were married.  After the ceremony at St. Leo Catholic Church in Columbus, they and their guests sat down to a catered breakfast that my maternal great-grandparents hosted at their 84 East … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Family, History, Travel, Virginia | Leave a comment

Find Good Conversation and Great Hot Chocolate at Richard Charlton’s Coffeehouse

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Betsy

Visits to Williamsburg always include stops to see old favorites and discover new things about them. At Bassett Hall, the 18th-century home where John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, lived during the initial restoration of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Food/Restaurants, History, Travel, Virginia | 1 Comment